Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Fundamental
Training
Principles for
the Competitive
1500m Runner.
TRAINING SUGGESTIONS FOR US POST COLLEGIATE CLUB
LEVEL ATHLETES .....................................................................................4
INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................9
TRAINING PRINCIPLES..........................................................................26
RACES:............................................................................................................38
RECOVERY DAYS/WEEKS:...........................................................................41
OTHER HELPFUL HINTS: .............................................................................42
SUGGESTED TRAINING OUTLINE ................................................................49
SUMMER/FALL SUGGESTED WEEKLY OUTLINE: .........................................50
WEEKLY COMPONENTS FOR SUMMER/FALL PHASE:...................................51
WORKOUTS: XC AEROBIC ENDURANCE PHASE (8/1-10/1) .......................52
Specific workouts 8/1-9/1:.............................................................................52
Specific workouts 9/1-10/1............................................................................53
WORKOUTS: XC RACE PREPARATION PHASE (10/1-12/1):........................54
Specific workouts 10/1-11/1:.........................................................................54
Winter/Spring (12/15-7/1): ............................................................................57
TRANSITION PHASE (12/15-1/1): ...................................................................57
1/1-3/1 Weekly Outline..................................................................................58
Weekly Components for True Base : ............................................................58
TRACK AEROBIC ENDURANCE PHASE (1/1-3/1): TRUE BASE PHASE ........59
Scheduled Workouts 1/1-2/1: ........................................................................59
Scheduled Workouts 2/1-3/1: ........................................................................60
TRACK PRE-COMP PHASE 3/1-5/1: FINALLY TIME TO BECOME A MILER! .62
3/1-5/1 Weekly Outline ................................................................................. 63
Specific Workouts 3/1-5/1: ........................................................................... 64
COMP PHASE (5/1-7/1)................................................................................... 66
Scheduled Workouts Comp Phase 5/1-7/1:.................................................. 67
APPENDIX I: ............................................................................................... 69
FALL PROGRESSIONS:.................................................................................. 69
TRANSITION MONTH (8/1-9/1) ...................................................................... 69
MONTH #1 (9/1-10/1): ................................................................................... 70
MONTH #2 (10/1-11/1): ................................................................................. 70
MONTH #3 (11/1-12/1): ................................................................................. 70
SPRING PROGRESSION: ................................................................................ 72
MONTH #1 (1/1-2/1)....................................................................................... 72
MONTH #2 (2/1-3/1):...................................................................................... 72
MONTH #3 (3/1-4/1):...................................................................................... 73
MONTH #4 (4/1-5/1):...................................................................................... 73
MONTH #5 (5/1-6/1):...................................................................................... 73
Joe Rubio’s Fundamental Training Principles for the Competitive 1500m Runner 3
Training Suggestions
for US Post Collegiate
Club Level Athletes
Questions or comments can be forwarded to Joe Rubio
(joe@runningwarehouse.com).
“The person who makes a success of living is the one who sees his
goal steadily and aims for it unswervingly.” Cecil B DeMille
Athlete Profile
This manual is intended for the competitive post collegiate middle
distance runner who has recently completed their college eligibility.
Manual Focus
There are really no training “secrets” hidden within these pages.
95% of what’s written here is the same information you’d find in
books written by Harry Wilson, Dr. Joe Vigil, Ray/Benson,
Martin/Coe and others, it’s just written from a slightly different
perspective. There is not a profound fundamental difference in
training schedules between this manual and those texts, which is a
good thing. It implies that there is an established successful route to
follow if racing a fast mile is your goal, this one follows a similar
path. This manual was initially written to serve as a reminder to the
author of what training worked for his milers over the years. In
subsequent seasons it has served as a guide to potential athletes on
exactly what the author’s training philosophy entails. This manual
is based on the same fundamental training principles that the
majority of top middle distance runners have used with success since
the 1960’s. Additionally, several current concepts have been
incorporated based on recent data from reliable sources. The
4 Joe Rubio’s Fundamental Training Principles for the Competitive 1500m
Runner
primary thing to take away from this manual is that the major
training themes that have worked for the past 40 years continue to
be valid today. You just have to follow them for a few seasons and
they will pay off.
Manual Assumptions
Assumption #1: The athlete following the suggestions in this
manual is an experienced middle distance runner looking to make
significant improvements in their ability to race a 1500 or mile.
These athletes should have at least 4-8 years of experience racing
and training at a competitive level. This program is not intended for
beginners. This program assumes that the athlete will use race
results as the basis for determining the success of their program. The
goal for the athlete following this program should be to improve
significantly enough that they are able to set PR’s and are capable of
racing athletes that they were previously unable to compete against.
The expectations are for the athlete following this program to race
regularly throughout each season and to determine in a competitive
situation if they are having success with their training or not.
Assumption #2: A sound training program that includes an
emphasis on ALL areas of fitness such as aerobic conditioning,
anaerobic conditioning (tempo work), long runs, doubles day, aerobic
capacity (VO2max development), anaerobic capacity (top end
speed) and recovery are the most important factors in influencing
how well you race. Nutrition, flexibility, plyometrics, drills, weights
and many other ancillary training protocols are secondary in
importance to the actual training schedule you follow. This is not
meant to imply that these ancillary items are not important to
1500m success, they certainly are. Unfortunately many athletes
loose sight of the fundamental training that will have the most
profound positive effect on their racing times. These athletes spend
a disproportionate amount of time focusing on ancillary items while
taking shortcuts in the training that will pay the biggest dividends.
This manual covers the fundamental training needed to become a
Joe Rubio’s Fundamental Training Principles for the Competitive 1500m Runner 5
competitive 1500 runner and provides an overview of workout
schedules that consistently gain improvements in the race times of
the athlete’s who use them. The ancillary training such as those
listed above are not covered in this manual. For a very good source
on these items, please refer to: http://www.brianmac.demon.co.uk/ .
Assumption #3: Real improvement requires a multi-year
commitment. Post collegiate running should be viewed along a
timeline similar to high school and college. High school and college
careers are generally divided into four-year time periods. It is within
these four-year time segments that most athletes learn what it takes
to compete at that level. Training loads and race expectations
increase over each four-year period such that the athlete is much
more competitive as a “junior” or “senior” than they were as a
“freshman” or “sophomore”. Post collegiate running can be viewed
in a similar manner. Significant improvements generally do not
happen the initial two years in high school or college and they
generally will not occur within the first two years of post collegiate
running either. By the third or forth year of competing at all levels,
the commitment and corresponding workloads should be sufficient to
allow the athlete to realize the fruits of their collective efforts.
Many athletes under-perform their first year out of college, become
discouraged and then pack it in because they are frustrated or in
many cases, have unrealistic expectations of what they should be
able to do right out of their familiar collegiate environment. Patience,
faith and hope are all key components in the process. Real
improvement will take time and unfortunately most of it will require
the individual athlete to step up and perform the necessary work
alone. In post collegiate running few care if you improve and even
fewer are there to provide support. You must posses a burning
desire to race fast and you must be mentally prepared to do most of
the necessary training alone. Do not kid yourself, there will be many
frustrating seasons ahead before any real progress is made in the
form of faster race times.
Joe Rubio’s Fundamental Training Principles for the Competitive 1500m Runner 11
means we focus on developing aerobic capacity while at the same
time working consistently on improving their functional leg speed.
We acquire increased leg speed by scheduling consistent speed
enhancement sessions throughout the summer, fall and winter
months. The goal of these sessions is to increase the functional leg
speed of the athlete as well as increase the efficiency of the athlete
while running at 100-400m speeds. Increasing neuromuscular
efficiency and basic 100-400 leg speed is ultimately the goal, but a
nice bonus is that these sessions also improve lower leg strength thus
decreasing the chance of injury. The athlete should be extremely
comfortable at running fast year round. We can accomplish this
though 5-10 second efforts performed at 400 pace up to and
including 30-60 second efforts at 1500 race pace while providing
plenty of recovery between reps (2-4x or more) to establish these
patterns of movement (i.e. muscle memory). Additionally, we
should incorporate several periods of approx 5 seconds bursts that
are near top end speed to facilitate the development of all-out top
end speed. We want to perform all of these sessions with the best
form possible and let our bodies adapt slowly to faster speeds using
the concept of consistency and progression to obtain improvement.
Hands on the knees, Barf-O-Rama anaerobic sessions is not the idea
here at all and should be avoided at all costs. These sessions should
be completed well within the abilities of the athlete. In this way,
100-400m leg speed is improved and efficiency at 400, 800 and 1500
is increased during periods of training that are focused primarily on
aerobic development. Without attention to leg speed in the summer,
fall and winter, there will be much wasted time in the spring teaching
an athlete to run fast, efficiently again. It is much more effective to
maintain a weekly or bi-weekly speed component in the program
year round.
Finally, it is essential that the efficiency with which the athlete
performs 1500m race pace is increased. By increasing efficiency at
race specific speeds, the energy required to maintain race pace is
decreased. This should result in faster overall race times everything
Joe Rubio’s Fundamental Training Principles for the Competitive 1500m Runner 13
A. Improved oxidative capacity in cardiac muscle and the
muscles used in running.
B. Improved joint and tendon strength.
C. Increased capacity to store fuels such as carbohydrates
and fatty acids
D. Increased number and size of mitochondria (the
powerhouse of the cell).
E. Improved O2 delivery and CO2 removal through
increased blood volume and capillary density.
Associated real world paces: Performed primarily through easy to
moderately paced sustained runs of 30-120 minutes at 55-75%
VO2max. This training zone makes up the majority of training most
distance runners do within a standard training week. These are the
runs that go anywhere from a warm-up jog to everyday
conversational pace running. Most general training runs during the
week fall into this category. This pace also encompasses recovery
runs, which for all intents and purposes entail running at less than
65-70% VO2max.
3 Anaerobic conditioning. Performed primarily through 15-25
minute efforts completed at 75-90% VO2max
This particular training zone is responsible for:
F. Increased adaptation of Type IIA fast twitch fibers to
utilize glycolytic and oxidative enzymes.
G. Increase stroke volume of the heart.
H. Increased capillary density and blood volume.
Associated real world paces: Performed primarily through 15-25
minute efforts at 75-90% of VO2max. These runs are generally
defined as tempo or steady state runs and are run at anywhere from
slightly slower than marathon race pace down to as fast as 10k race
pace. The main goal of this workout is to complete a comfortably
hard effort for a sustained period of time.
14 Joe Rubio’s Fundamental Training Principles for the Competitive 1500m
Runner
4 Aerobic capacity. Performed primarily through 2-8 minute reps
at 90-100% of VO2max.
This particular training zone is responsible for
I. Increased adaptation of working muscles to utilize
glycolytic and oxidative enzymes.
J. Increased blood buffering capacity
K. Continued activation of fast twitch muscles.
Associated real world paces: Performed primarily through 2-8
minute reps at 90-100% of VO2max. These are classically defined as
interval workouts or fartlek runs whereby the athlete runs at a
particular pace and then takes a recovery jog between hard efforts.
In this case, the harder efforts are performed at primarily 5k to 10k
race pace. This is the fastest of the aerobic paces.
5 Anaerobic capacity. Performed primarily through 30-120 second
reps at better than 100% VO2max.
This particular training zone is responsible for:
L. Improved functional leg strength and overall speed.
M. Increased ability to tolerate high levels of lactic acid
through increased buffering capability.
N. Increased plasma volume and improved neuromuscular
recruitment.
Associated real world paces: Performed primarily through 30-120
second reps at
better than 100% VO2max. This effort is anaerobic and is
considered “speed work” to most. Reps are generally performed at
roughly mile to two-mile race pace for most distance runners,
although middle distance runners should run consistent reps at
1500m race pace and faster with regularity.
Joe Rubio’s Fundamental Training Principles for the Competitive 1500m Runner 15
6 Phosphates: Performed primarily through maximum all-out
efforts of 5-10 seconds in length.
7 Recovery (not listed above): Performed primarily through easy
runs at less than 65% VO2max and usually between 20-45 minutes
in length. Encompasses the pace of all recovery runs, warm-up,
warm-downs and the start of every run begins at this easy effort.
The above charts make a very strong statement. They highlight the
fact that the majority of energy required to race the 1500 effectively
is derived from the aerobic side of the fence. 76% of the energy
needed to race the 1500 effectively is developed primarily through
runs performed at 70-100% of VO2max pace (roughly 5k pace or
slower). The remaining 24% is made up of runs done at greater than
VO2max pace (1500 pace or faster). Of this 24%, 22% comes from
workouts performed roughly at 1500m, 800m and 400m race pace
while the final 2% or so comes from short bursts at max efforts.
Put into training terms 85% of the training needed to race a top level
1500 comes from aerobic paced training. 45% of this is developed
by 30-120+ minute runs finishing the last part at a decent clip, 20%
comes from 20-50 minute tempo runs and 20% comes from reps
completed at approximately 5k or 10k race pace. These efforts are
all classified as aerobic paces, yet none of these are “easy.” These
paces and efforts are considered hard to most competitive runners.
The common misconception in the American running community is
that aerobic running is “easy.” Aerobic running is definitely not
easy. Quite the contrary, they’re usually pretty hard. If you want
easy mileage you’re in the wrong manual, that’s called jogging and
it’s what recreational fitness runners do. This point needs to be
reinforced to young athletes that if there is any “secret” to racing a
fast 1500 or mile it is that it takes months of hard aerobic work that
is just plain tough. To run a fast mile requires consistently hard
800’s, 1k’s and mile reps, 4-8 mile tempo runs and 12-18 mile runs
at uncomfortable paces for the majority of the training year. The
sustained “speed work” of fast 300’s and 400’s done in the spring is
the fun stuff for the competitive miler. Performing the solidly paced
16 Joe Rubio’s Fundamental Training Principles for the Competitive 1500m
Runner
aerobic sessions during the 8 months that precede this is invariably
what separate the 1500m runners who make improvements in race
times versus those who do not.
Because 5k training centers primarily on the same aerobic paces that
the 1500 runner should focus on to improve their aerobic
component, spending the summer, fall and winter months training as
a competitive 5k/XC runner is the basis of the most significant
improvements the competitive 1500 runner is likely to make in their
careers. The emphasis of competitive 5k training centers primarily
on VO2max paces, but there is still a large quotient of 1500 specific
and tempo paced workouts performed to develop a well rounded,
aerobically fit athlete capable of running a fast 400 or 10k/half
marathon if needed. I have had 3 athletes make significant 1500
improvements from the previous year by training in this fashion
(3:46 down to 3:39, 3:47 down to 3:40, 4:34 down to 4:18). I have
also been fortunate to know a substantial number of sub 4 minute
milers and in every instance, all were very competitive distance
runners. They all had the ability to break 14 minutes for 5k or score
in the top 10 for most cross country races as well. Their Sunday
long runs were done with the national class 10k and marathon
runners, plus their runs away from the track were generally
completed at a fairly substantial pace. This ability wasn’t
accomplished by focusing primarily on speed work, it was
accomplished by spending a significant portion of the training year
developing their aerobic capacity. Sub 4 minute miles were the
byproduct of their largely competitive 5k based training efforts.
Ideally, the athlete should be exposed to every pace (100, 400, 800,
1500, 3k, 5k, 10k, tempo, MP, AE, Recovery) as it’s defined above
throughout the training year. The difference is the emphasis placed
on the various paces. In the summer, fall and winter months, the
emphasis is on aerobic paces, in late spring it’s on the anaerobic
paces. Still, we must expose the athlete to all paces no matter how
fast or how slow consistently throughout the year so the athlete
maintains a familiarity with every relevant energy system. To
accomplish this task we focus on a program of periodization,
Joe Rubio’s Fundamental Training Principles for the Competitive 1500m Runner 17
meaning we run all paces year round we just change the workout
emphasis on each depending on the time of the year.
Paces Defined
Aerobic Paces
Recovery: Also called active rest and the one pace that those who
over train and under perform invariably forget. Most non-elite
runners tend to run this pace much too fast for their abilities, thus
they never allow themselves adequate recovery which is essential in
the process of overcompensation. The body (muscles, tendons and
neuromuscular system) need adequate time to regenerate and become
stronger. Never, ever forget that regular recovery is the most vital
and most overlooked aspect of the training process. A recovery run
is typically defined as 20-45 minutes of slow and easy jogging. The
idea is to move the crap out of your legs, not to get in an extra 4 mile
tempo run. The pace should be no faster than 65% of your 5k pace
at any point in this run (usually in the low to mid 60% range is what
Joe Rubio’s Fundamental Training Principles for the Competitive 1500m Runner 19
we want). If you allow 6+ hours between sessions, doing one of
these easy recovery runs in the AM and another in the PM is fine
and within the definition of a recovery day if you’d like to maintain
double days within the schedule.
Aerobic Conditioning/Endurance (AE): 30-120+ minutes (includes
the long run). A run that starts at recovery pace and picks up to
nearly marathon race pace by the end of the run after the athlete
loosens up. Usually they are finishing at a decent clip without really
forcing the issue. This run makes up the large bulk of the weekly
training outside of recovery running for most distance runners and
can be pretty brisk at points when they're in shape, so roughly 70-
80% of 5k pace which is usually figured at between 4-10 seconds per
400 slower than your current marathon pace. When they're not that
fit this run is usually done at recovery pace or slightly faster.
Marathon Race Pace: A pace that's 4-5 seconds per 400m slower
than ½ marathon race pace or 4-5 second faster than AE. If you
want to get fancy about determining this pace take your mile pace
for 400m and add 20 seconds if you're a sub 4:30 miler (67.5 + 20 =
92.5). Add 25 seconds if you're sub 5:00 minute miler (75 + 25 =
100) and 30 seconds if you're sub 5:30 miler (82.5 + 30 = 112.5).
The other option is take you're pace for a 3k and divide by 80%.
Example: A 4:00 miler runs 60 second pace, if you add 20 seconds
as it’s suggested above, you get a suggested MP pace of 80/400 or
5:20 per mile pace. The same 4:00 athlete should be able to run
about 64 pace for a 3k, so 64/.80 = 80 second pace or the same 5:20
mile.
Anaerobic Conditioning/Tempo: Pace that's 4-5 seconds per 400m
SLOWER than current 10k race pace or 4-5 seconds per 400m
FASTER than marathon race pace. If you're doing a tempo run and
can't honestly maintain the pace for 50-60 minutes then it's probably
too fast. The idea is a strong run within yourself, not a killer 8 mile
race. This pace is roughly your ½ marathon race pace and if you do
enough of this you become very, very strong. Not particularly fast,
just strong. This run done consistently over time improves the
20 Joe Rubio’s Fundamental Training Principles for the Competitive 1500m
Runner
percentage of VO2max you can effectively use (fractionalized
utilization). So while it doesn’t directly affect your racing ability, it
greatly enhances the available tools you have to run a fast mile.
Performed at roughly 85-87% of VO2max.
10k: Your current 10k race pace which is roughly 4-5 seconds per
400m faster than tempo pace or 4-5 seconds per 400m slower than
5k pace. Approx 90% VO2max.
5k: Your current 5k race pace which is roughly 4-5 seconds per
400m faster than 10k pace or 4-5 seconds per 400m slower than 3k
pace. Approx 95-100% VO2max.
3k: (warning: too much work at 3k pace can tank you. Better to
stick to 5k pace as much as possible particularly for males). Your
current 3k race pace which is roughly 4-5 seconds per 400m faster
than 5k pace or 4-5 seconds per 400m slower than 1500 pace.
Approx 100-105% VO2max.
Anaerobic Paces
1500: Your current 1500 race pace which is 4-5 seconds per 400m
faster than 3k pace or 4-5 seconds per 400m slower than 800 pace.
800: Your current 800 race pace which is roughly 4-5 seconds per
400m faster than 1500 pace or 4-5 seconds per 400m slower than
400m race pace.
400: Potential all out finishing speed for most distance runners.
Phosphate
Max efforts: 5-10 seconds at full top end speed. Used to enhance
phosphate utilization.
Other Definitions
Strides: Approx 15-30 second efforts performed at the same pace
throughout. Should be smooth, relaxed and loose. Recovery is
generally twice the time run.
Joe Rubio’s Fundamental Training Principles for the Competitive 1500m Runner 21
Accelerations. Starting at one pace and working through several
“gears” ultimately finishing at a faster rate of speed than the one
started with. Can also be done with a “burst” of speed within
specified sections (sprint/float/sprint). Most burst should last from
5-10 seconds (no more). Ideally the acceleration should include a
section 5-10 seconds at near top end speed. Maintaining form is
paramount as is ensuring the effort does not become an overly
stressful one. The goal here is RELAXED speed, not straining
speed. Therefore plenty of recovery is given between efforts and
majestic form is required. IE. 4-6 x 120 accelerations. Diagonals of
football field w/ easy walk across recovery. Start at 1500 effort,
finish last 10m at best relaxed top end speed.
Fly-ins: All out max efforts of about 5-10 seconds done with a
flying start. Used to enhance phosphate utilization.
Hill reps: There are 3 basics speed we use when doing hill reps.
Usually done on soft, smooth surfaces such as dirt or grass.
Moderate incline, 250-300m in length. Please note that hill reps are a
form of strength training. If you cannot get into a gym, don’t stress.
Consistent hill reps are probably better than hitting the weight room
particularly since most people try to gain strength through osmosis
in the weight room seeing as few have a specific lifting program.
They just do a few bench presses and call it a day. Hill reps are
much better than this form of lifting.
• Form: This is where the athlete concentrates on running
uphill with the best form they can. Running tall, hips forward, feet
landing under the center of gravity, good arm action, strong/quick
push off, quick turnover. Basically a poor man's plyo. Usually
these are done at tempo/10k effort early on. These do a great job
early in the season of getting the strength built up in your legs such
that when you add the real fast stuff you are better prepared to
handle the increased intensity. They look easy on paper but usually
make you pretty sore the first time or two you do them. If you do
this properly, the pace is faster than anticipated simply because it's
hard to run jogging slow if you are doing all the good form stuff.
22 Joe Rubio’s Fundamental Training Principles for the Competitive 1500m
Runner
Good to keep in the back of your mind in a race that if you
concentrate on the form, you'll be running fairly brisk when you run
up hills.
• Moderate: These hill reps are done at roughly 3k/5k
EFFORT, not pace. You want the form to stay in tact, but the
emphasis is a moderately hard uphill run. In fact, as you get fitter
the “form” speed and the “moderate” speed almost become the same
pace. Early in the season, the times are about 3-5 seconds apart on a
300m gradual hill.
• Brisk: These are done at 1500/3k EFFORT, not pace.
Hard, fast rep with the emphasis on fast turnover, while maintaining
great form. If the form falls apart, the athlete is done. The time is
usually 3-5 seconds faster on the brisk ones than on the moderate
ones for a 300m long uphill.
Progressive Hill Reps: Starting at a very modest effort and running
each successive rep 1 second faster than the previous. IE. 54, 53,
52, 51, 50, 49, 48, 47, 46. Usually start at tempo effort and finish at
1500 or better effort.
All Out Hills: Steep incline. 80-120m in length. Reps performed at
best effort with full recovery. Done to enhance phosphate
utilization.
Fartlek: My definition of the way a fartlek is supposed to be run is
different than most. In similar fashion to the way in which the great
Kenyan runners perform their fartlek sessions, we ask that the
recovery portion is at a fairly solid (not jogging) pace and perform
surges off this faster, sustained recovery pace. Ideally, fartleks are
performed in the summer and fall when the 1500m runner is
concerned with aerobic development. This is best accomplished by
training at pace faster than LSD for extended periods of time (20-50
minutes). Therefore, we want to maintain a solid aerobic pace of at
least aerobic conditioning pace as the “off” portion of the workout.
The faster “on” portion is really a surge performed off of a good,
strong aerobic pace which is much more difficult and beneficial than
Joe Rubio’s Fundamental Training Principles for the Competitive 1500m Runner 23
the traditional method of running too hard on the “on’s” and taking a
very easy recovery jog between these overly hard efforts.
Essentially the goal is to be able to surge consistently off of a 20-50
minute AE paced run. Gaining the ability to do this indicates solid
aerobic development. As the athlete attains greater fitness
throughout the fall, the “off’s” of the fartlek should begin to increase
in pace. They should start in early fall at the slow end of aerobic
conditioning pace (2 min/mile off 5k pace), then drop to about 75%
of 5k pace by the middle of XC season. Finally, the pace should get
down to 80% (approx 60 sec/mile off 5k) by the middle to end of the
fall. The fast “on” pace should not change drastically. Generally
these “on’s” will be run at 10k-tempo effort in the summer and get
down to roughly 5k-10k effort by the end of the fall. Most fartleks
will be run with equal amounts of “on” and “off” or slightly less time
on the “off’s”. “On’s” are run anywhere from 15 seconds to 3
minutes in length, sometimes even up to 5 minutes in length by the
middle to end of the fall. Usually a total amount of 10-25 minutes of
total “on’s” are plenty.
Fartlek examples include:
• “Minutes”: 10-25 x 60 seconds on/off.
• “NAU” fartlek: 3-8 x 3 minutes on/off. Done every other
week. Recovery decreases 30 seconds each successive time
this workout is run until the athlete gets down to 1 min.
• ”Waitz” Fartlek: 1 on/off, 2 on/off, 3 on/off, 4 on/off, 5
on/off, 4 on/off, 3 on/off, 2 on/off, 1 on/off.
• ”Jane Fonda” (20 min workout): 15 seconds on/off, 30
on/off, 45 on/off, 60 on/off, 90 on/off, 120 on/off, 90 on/off,
60 on/off, 45 on/off, 30 on/off, 15 on/off.
• ”Wake Forest Drill”: Find a gradual uphill slope of approx.
800m. Run up at 5k-10k effort, hit the top, turnaround
immediately and run the same downhill section at 10-20
second slower, turnaround and immediately run uphill at 5k-
Joe Rubio’s Fundamental Training Principles for the Competitive 1500m Runner 25
Training Principles
The following principles of progression, workload volumes, rest
intervals, workout paces, multi-paced training schedules and
recovery days/weeks are extremely important. These guidelines can
help the athlete establish a program that is effective, personalized
and appropriate for them. These principles provide a structure that
ensures the correct volume of work is performed, at the proper pace
and during the appropriate time of the training year. This greatly
increases the odds of obtaining significant improvements while
staying healthy and maintaining mental focus. The athlete is allowed
to adapt to stress gradually (chronic stress = adaptation) and avoid
many of the problems associated with adding too much, too soon
(acute stress = breakdown). Signs of over training include injuries,
races below the level of workouts, lack of motivation, constant
fatigue, etc – none of which are conducive to setting PR’s. We want
the athlete healthy, fit and ready to race which the following
guidelines help accomplish.
Most athletes left to their own devises will tend to overtrain in some
areas, while under train in others. Athletes naturally like to do
workout which give them confidence. In most cases, milers like to
do fast 200’s, 300’s and 400’s. They tend not to like things like mile
reps, tempo runs or long runs with the 10k/marathon guys that are
just a bit too fast to ever feel comfortable. Because of this natural
tendency to do what athlete’s are proficient at while avoiding the
things that they are not very good at, many athletes will rationalize
themselves into performing one workout instead of another. For
instance, the athlete may choose to do 12 x 400’s at 1500 pace (i.e.
64 pace) instead of the scheduled 3 x 1600 at 5k pace (i.e. 72 pace)
rationalizing that because both are the same volume of work the 12 x
400 version is better because it is performed at a significantly faster
pace. Or the athlete is scheduled to run 8 x 400 at 62 and ends up
running the entire the workout at 58 pace because it felt “easy”,
26 Joe Rubio’s Fundamental Training Principles for the Competitive 1500m
Runner
while a workout that calls for 6 x 800 at 2:10 are never completed
because the athlete rarely feels “good” on these harder VO2max
sessions. In this fashion the athlete over trains at 1500 pace while at
the same time under-train other vital energy systems. This goes on
day by day, week by week, season by season and the athlete
ultimately fails to make any significant progress. This is usually not
great for an athlete’s motivation.
Progression: The basic law of progression states that as the body
improves in fitness, the ability to tolerate individual workloads
increases. Progression is a systematic format that allows the athlete
to do more work at a faster rate of speed and with less recovery at
the end of the season than they were able to perform at the start.
This should result in a fitter athlete and faster overall racing times.
This is one of the best ways to increase fitness effectively and
maintain an athlete’s health along the way.
In the real world, we can manipulate one of three variables to bring
about changes in fitness:
You can do more.
Ex. Long runs:
Month #1: 12 miles
Month #2: 14 miles
Month #3: 16 miles
Month #4: 18 miles
You can do it faster.
Ex. 800m reps:
Month #1: 10 x 800 at 10k pace
Month #2: 8 x 800 at 5k pace
Month #3: 6 x 800 at 3k pace
Month #4: 4 x 800 at 1500 pace
You can do it with less recovery.
Joe Rubio’s Fundamental Training Principles for the Competitive 1500m Runner 27
Ex. 5k paced reps:
Month #1: 12 x 400 at 5k pace
Month #2: 6 x 800 at 5k pace
Month #3: 5 x 1000 at 5k pace
Month #4: 3 x 1600 at 5k pace
We always start each at a manageable training level and then raise the
level of work each month either by doing more, doing it faster or
doing it with less recovery. This allows us to expose the athlete to a
tolerable level of stress, allow them time to adapt (usually 3-4
weeks) and then raise the workload again. We do this not only
within each season, but from year to year as well. In this fashion we
can start an athlete with say 12 x 400 at 68 in month #1, then
progress them to 6 x 800 at 2:16 in month #2, 4 x 1200 at 3:24 in
month #3 and finally 3 x 1600 at 4:32 in month #4 just before XC
nationals. All workouts add up to 3 miles worth of running at 68
pace, we just remove a bit of recovery each month while maintaining
the same pace and increasing the amount of ground covered at 68
pace. This should result in a fitter athlete by season’s end. Another
example is using the following sample progression to obtain 4:00
mile fitness by the time USATF Nationals rolls around. Using a
schedule based on progression, we would expect the athlete to be
able to achieve the following: 12 x 200 at 30 in January, 8 x 300 in
45 in February, 6 x 400 at 60 in March, 4 x 600 at 1:30 in April and
finally 3 x 800 at 2:00 in May right when the big qualifying meets are
held.
Workload Volumes: The volume of work to be performed per
session at each individual training pace is pre-determined for the
athlete before the season begins. In this way, neither the coach, nor
the athlete overwhelms the athlete with an inappropriate volume of
work at any one pace in a single workout. For instance, if we set the
volume of work for an athlete at 3200m worth of work at 1500 pace
in a standard workout, we could do any number of workouts such as:
16 x 200, 10 x 300, 8 x 400, 5 x 600, 4 x 800. If the athlete came to
28 Joe Rubio’s Fundamental Training Principles for the Competitive 1500m
Runner
us in April after a huge PR and said they read about a workout that
Jim Ryun completed of 16 x 400 at mile race pace that they wanted
to try, we could adapt it to this particular athlete and set it up to run
at 8 x 400. This allows the athlete to try the Ryun workout, but at
an appropriate workout volume for that particular athlete. We could
then throw out the carrot and set the goal for next year of completing
10 x 400, then 12 x 400 the following year, then 14-16 the year after.
This helps tremendously in setting long term goals and showing
athletes that development within the sport can be planned for.
The athlete will maintain these pre-set volumes for an entire season
and then adjust them for the following season. During the annual
break, the coach and athlete should sit down and decide which paces
need adjusting and which do not. Please note, not all workout pace
volumes should be adjusted annually. In some cases, only adjusting
1 or 2 set volumes will be all an athlete needs. More is not always
better.
Example: Athlete A is a female 1500 runner. This is her first
year out of college and the following volumes of workload at each
workout pace have been set based on her college logs which indicate
the level of work she has been exposed to up to this point. Some
paces have stayed the same as college while others have been
increased.
Pace Total Volume of Work Performed per Session
400 pace: 800m (total volume in ’02), 800m (planned
volume in ’03).
Example workout: 4 x 200 at 400m pace = 800m
of running done at 400m race pace.
800 pace: 1200m (total volume in ’02), 1600m (’03). Ex. 4
x 400 at 800 pace
1500 pace: 1600m (total volume in ’02), 2400m (’03). Ex 6
x 400 at 1500 pace
3k pace: 2800m (total volume in ’02), 3200m (’03). Ex. 4
Joe Rubio’s Fundamental Training Principles for the Competitive 1500m Runner 29
x 800 at 3k pace.
5k pace: 4200m (total volume in ’02), 5000m in (’03). Ex.
5 x 1k at 5k pace
10k/tempo: 5000m (total volume in ’02), 6400m in (’03). Ex
4 miles at tempo
Long run: 10 miles in (’02), 14 miles in (’03).
Joe Rubio’s Fundamental Training Principles for the Competitive 1500m Runner 31
a strong indicator that the athlete is probably over training or at the
very least, leaving their Saturday races at Wednesday’s workout
(over reaching). Most success is achieved by training at a pace just
slightly slower than the athlete is capable of, “train optimally, race
maximally.” All workouts paces ideally should be based on the best
available data for determining current fitness. In this way, we are
fairly certain that the athlete is performing the assigned workout at a
pace that’s appropriate for them and not someone they read about
on the internet. Since most athletes lack lab facilities, the use of race
results and the subsequent use of comparison charts allows for
setting appropriate workout paces based on an athlete’s true fitness.
Race results are the most effective means for most to determine how
fast they can actually run a set distance. Fitness charts are widely
available through sources such as Dr Daniels, Dr Purdy (Running
Trax), Benson/Ray’s “Run with the Best” and Frank Horwill all have
versions of comparison charts, plus there are many other versions
available on the internet.
We use a form of Horwill’s 4 second rule mostly because I can do it
in my head at the track and not have to carry a chart around with me
all the time. Maybe it’s surprising, maybe it’s not, but the results
from all the various charts come out very similar to each other so
please do not conclude that one is better than another. Use the one
you feel most comfortable using. To determine your ideal workout
paces using Horwill’s system, start with the distances of 400, 800,
1500, 3k, 5k, 10k, tempo and marathon then apply the 4 second rule
if it’s a 4 minute miler, 5 seconds if it’s a 5 minute miler, 6 seconds if
it’s a 6 minute miler. To determine your theoretical race/workout
paces, you would convert a recent race result into its corresponding
400m pace. Then you would add 4 seconds to each successive
distance above the performed race distance or subtract 4 seconds for
each individual race distance below the race distance. For instance,
we have an athlete who has just run a 4:00 1500. This would
translate into a fitness level of approx 64 pace for any workout
performed at 1500 pace. For determining 800 paced workout reps
we would subtract 4 seconds from the recent 1500 race pace of 64
32 Joe Rubio’s Fundamental Training Principles for the Competitive 1500m
Runner
and get 60 (64 – 4). We would then have the athlete run their 800m
race paced workouts at 60 pace. We would also expect the athlete to
be able to race an all out 800 at 60 pace and would set that as an
expected and appropriate goal for the athlete. For 400m race paced
reps, we would set 56 as the pace (60 – 4). For 3k reps we would
set the pace at 68 (64 + 4), 5k would be at 72 pace (68 + 4), 76 pace
for 10k paced reps (72 + 4), tempos at 80 (76 + 4), marathon paced
workouts would be at 84, aerobic conditioning runs would be
completed at 88-92 pace and recovery run would be completed at no
faster than 92.
In reality, the paces at 1 or possibly 2 speeds above or below your
best race distance are most accurate. In some cases, you will have
the above 4:00 1500 athlete who can only run 16:30 for 5k instead of
the projected 15:00. If this is the case, you would use 2 charts for
that athlete. One for the 400, 800 and 1500 based on the stronger
1500 pace of 64. The other chart would be based around the 80
second 5k fitness the athlete posses (3k = 76, 5k = 80, 10k = 84,
tempo = 88, marathon = 92, AE = 96). A large gap between your
theoretical race time and your actual time for any distances can help
pinpoint where you are comparatively weak in your development
and can serve as an area to emphasize future training upon. In the
above example where an athlete can run 64 pace for a 1500 and only
run 80 pace for a 5k, this indicates additional work is needed to
develop their aerobic capacity. This would then be the focus until
the 5k pace drops into the range we would expect, in this case 72
pace or better for a 5k given the same 1500 time. Few athletes will
be equal across the board with their 400 equating to their marathon,
but these charts are great for setting workout paces and determining a
training focus for the coming season.
For instance, here are some paces from an actual athlete I worked
with in 1997-2000. His PR times from college were:
400 50
800: 1:52 (56)
1500: 3:46 (61)
Joe Rubio’s Fundamental Training Principles for the Competitive 1500m Runner 33
3k: NT
5k: 14:46 (71)
Given his 400 speed, we should have seen the following:
400: 50
800: 1:48 (54)
1500: 3:38 (58)
3k: NT
5k: 13:45 (66)
Obviously, the athlete needed some work on aerobic capacity
considering that every step up the distance chart resulted in an even
greater spread than the previous one. We spend 2 years working on
aerobic conditioning and aerobic capacity, plus tempo work
(anaerobic conditioning) and these were his times by 1999:
400: 50
800: 1:47 (54.5)
1500: 3:39 (59)
3k: 8:06 (65)
5k: 13:49 (66)
The actual times achieved above were much more in line to what we
should see from an athlete who has been trained with a greater
emphasis on aerobic development.
This type of comparison chart or any of the other fine charts can
prove invaluable for helping set the appropriate paces for the
athlete’s workouts. Here is an actual example from this past 2002
XC and 2003 outdoor track season on the use of the Horwill system
to set workout paces:
Athlete A has run a best of 4:34 for 1500m in the 2002 outdoor
season and holds a 4:27 PR set in 2001. We decide to apply the 5
second rule to set her workout paces since she is essentially a 5
34 Joe Rubio’s Fundamental Training Principles for the Competitive 1500m
Runner
minute miler at her best. The athlete runs conservatively on all
workouts in July and August making sure she is keeping all workout
paces at a manageable effort well under the effort run the previous
spring. She runs a certified 10k road race in September and finishes
with a 36:34 (88 second/400 pace). We then set her workout paces
as follows using the 5 second rule based on a current reliable figure of
88 second pace for 10k:
400: 63 (68 – 5)
800: 68 (73 – 5)
1500: 73 (78 – 5)
3k: 78 (83 – 5)
5k: 83 (88 – 5)
10k: 88
tempo: 93 (88 + 5)
marathon pace: 98 (93 + 5)
AE: 103 (98 + 5) – 108 (103 + 5)
Recovery: No faster than 108 pace
We maintain the workout paces at this level until we have a
compelling reason to adjust which is generally a comparatively better
race time at any race distance, a time trial or a reliable real world test
result such as a Kosmin Test. In this case, since the athlete did not
run another road races or indoor race and only ran XC races in the
fall, every workout from September through early March were run at
the above paces. The first week of March we had her run a 1500
Kosmin test (http://www.brianmac.demon.co.uk/kosmin.htm) to
determine current fitness. The athlete covered 1460 meters, which
projects a time of 4:24 (71) for 1500m. We then adjust the workout
paces to the following using the 5 second rule based on this reliable
test result:
400: 61
Joe Rubio’s Fundamental Training Principles for the Competitive 1500m Runner 35
800: 66
1500: 71
3k: 76
5k: 81
10k: 86
tempo: 91
marathon pace: 96
AE: 101-106
Rec: Slower than 106 pace
In mid March, the athlete ran an 800 in 2:12 which confirmed the
Kosmin test conducted two weeks earlier. Since this was the same
level performance as the chart indicated above, the workout paces
stayed the same.
In late March, the athlete was instructed to set a goal pace of running
71 pace for her first 1500 of the year. Although this was a 3-4
second PR, we knew the athlete was capable of this type of
performance based on the Kosmin test as well as the 2:12 800m race
which confirmed her fitness. She ran a PR 4:22 (70) for the 1500 in
winning her heat of the Stanford Invitational. Her workout paces
were adjusted as follows based on this new, higher level of fitness
and using the 5 second rule:
400: 60
800: 65
1500: 70
3k: 75
5k: 80
In May, the athlete ran another PR 1500 in 4:20 (70 pace). This
pace was not substantially faster to justify changing the workout
paces. If she had run 4:18 or better, her workout paces would have
dropped another second per pace.
In this fashion we adjust the workout paces as fitness increased
ensuring an appropriate level of work for that individual athlete.
Remember, we kept the workout paces the same from September
through March without adjusting them because we did not have
reliable information to indicate they should be adjusted even though
it was obvious that the workout level at times was below her ability.
In this case, the athlete started with 1500 pace workouts being
performed for much of the year at 73 pace. By the end of the year,
she was racing at 70 pace which was a good 15 seconds faster at the
1500 that she was able to race the previous year. She maintained her
health the entire year and maintained or improved her performances
at every meet throughout the season.
Multi Paced Schedule: Over/Under Training: I have found that a bi-
weekly schedule of multi-paced training whereby we dedicate an
entire training day to an individual workout pace (i.e.. Mon: 1500,
Wed: 800, Sat: 5k) allows us to manipulate the necessary training
components/energy systems within an outline that’s easy to use and
effective, all necessary training paces are addressed while none are
ignored. The plan that follows are organized around the multi paced
concept of “over/under training” which implies that within 3
successive workouts, one workout will be run at primary race pace,
one will be run at slower than primary race pace and one will be run
at faster than primary race pace. In early spring, the standard
training week for most 1500 runners would include one workout to
Joe Rubio’s Fundamental Training Principles for the Competitive 1500m Runner 37
be run at faster than 1500 pace (all-out, 400, 800), one workout to be
run at slower than primary race pace (3k, 5k, 10k or tempo) and the
final workout for the week would be run at primary emphasis pace
for this time of the year, which is 1500 pace. In the fall, the primary
emphasis is on developing the athlete’s ability as a 5k runner.
Therefore, the primary race pace would be 5k pace. In the course of
3 successive workouts, one would be at 5k pace, one would be
slower (10k or tempo) and the next would be preformed at faster
than 5k pace (800, hill rep, 1500, 3k)
This is how it would look written another way:
March rotation of workouts:
Week #1:
Mon: 800 pace (faster)
Wed: 1500 pace (at primary race pace)
Sat: 5k pace (slower)
Week #2
Mon: 400 pace (faster)
Wed: 1500 pace (at primary race pace)
Sat: Tempo run (slower)
Races:
“Great fear will always loose out to great faith.” Zig Ziglar
“Baseball is 90% physical. The other half is mental.” Yogi Berra
Racing is the best way we have to immediately impress upon the
athlete how well they are doing. Racing provides instant feedback
and makes it very easy to determine what needs attention and what
is working. Races are invaluable in helping teach athletes to challenge
themselves and learn to be mentally tough. In many cases, athletes
will spend months, even years training without ever racing. They are
always preparing for the future without living in the present. They
38 Joe Rubio’s Fundamental Training Principles for the Competitive 1500m
Runner
never receive real feedback during this “base” time and develop many
unrealistic expectations about their true fitness level. There is no
possible way to improve as a competitive miler without racing
consistently. On average, the 1500 runner is required to race a 5k-
1/2 marathon at least once a month in the late summer and fall, and
then on the track every two to three weeks once the outdoor season
gets under way. It takes 5-7 800 or 1500 races to work the bugs out
and actual race reasonably well. Do not make the mistake of passing
up low key early season meets as your opportunity to work on race
strategy, increase fitness and serve as rust busters before the main
qualifying meets of the season. By the time the big meets in May
roll around, the club level 1500 runner should have at least 3-4 meets
under their belt. Opening up in April is generally too late unless you
have already qualified for USATF’s or the Trials for that season and
even then it’s late.
A meet schedule for the athlete should be set up before the start of
each season and should not change dramatically from week to week.
This racing schedule is set up in conjunction with the training
schedule so both work together to help the athlete develop the
highest possible fitness and correct mental outlook to race their best
at the right time of the year. Goals should be set for each meet so
that the results can be appropriately analyzed. The scheduled meets
should be ranked 1-3 (1 being most important and 3 being least).
#1’s are the championship or qualifying races where nothing is held
back and the race strategy is known well in advance. Easy weeks
(see Recovery below) precede these and the athlete should be at a
very high level of fitness and race readiness entering these events.
#3’s are early season, low key events that are used primarily to
increase fitness and more importantly, work on various race tactics.
You cannot expect to race the “plan” at the top meets of the year if
this “plan” isn’t tried out repeatedly. The #2 and #3 ranked meets
allow the athlete a great chance to work on various tactics within an
environment that has much less at stake. These meets also offer the
athlete a chance to race off distances which is great in helping to
determine if the program is developing all aspects of fitness. #3’s are
Joe Rubio’s Fundamental Training Principles for the Competitive 1500m Runner 39
a good time to let the athlete race the 400 to test leg speed or the
3k/5k to test aerobic capacity. #2’s are usually higher level, early
season 1500 or 800 races where we would like to begin establishing
solid racing patterns that we want the athlete to execute without
thinking during the top meets of the year. Each race should have a
goal attached to it so the athlete understands what is expected and an
assessment can be conducted afterwards to determine if the athlete
was successful in achieving the preset goal for that particular meet.
Too many athletes do not have a plan or goal attached to each race,
they just want to run “good” or “fast.” Well what does that mean?
Have a clear goal for what should be accomplished at each meet
throughout the season.
Being a competitive runner implies that you sincerely want to race
and challenge yourself. This is the one area that is paramount in
helping athletes improve. Unfortunately, it’s often the least focused
upon aspect of most athlete’s careers. Many post collegiate runners
worry constantly about training programs. In fact they study
training programs for weeks, months, even years on end. They can
tell you the difference in Lydiard, Cerutty, Igloi and most anyone
else, but in the area of racing, the one area that will pay the biggest
dividend in their careers, they know agonizingly little. Ask them
about Coe and they’ll give you a dissertation. Ask them about a
race plan or a strategy based on their individual strengths and all
they’ll give you a blank stare. This whole manual is supposed to be
giving you the fitness to do one thing, race! The whole reason we do
all this training is to beat people we shouldn’t beat and win races we
shouldn’t win. There are a few things to address when deciding
which race strategy will potentially work for you:
Do you have a short, fast finish?
Do you lack the ability to produce a short, fast finish but are very
proficient at a longer 300-400m type finish? How about a 500-600
finish?
Do you lack both types and instead need to drop people early in the
race?
40 Joe Rubio’s Fundamental Training Principles for the Competitive 1500m
Runner
What are the strengths and weaknesses of your opponents?
These are just a few items to think about, but you should have a
good idea which type of finish works best for you so you can go
about setting up a strategy that will maximize your strengths and
minimize your weaknesses. After this is decided upon it’s time to
start looking at tapes, learn what others have done before and what
might work for you. Use the #2 and #3 ranked meets to try leading,
try following, go out slow and finish the last 800 fast, go out fast and
hang on, run for the tape from 500-600 out, take the lead and slow
the pace, whatever you think will work for you, try it. Experiment
and don’t be afraid to try something new. Take a chance, push the
limits, experiment with a few ideas and record the results. Over time
the best race plan for you will emerge. The worst thing to do is let
others dictate the race your entire career. Make a plan and try to
execute it. No one is successful the first time out so expect some
failures along the way. Remember, you cannot learn what you’re
capable of by avoiding the opportunity to race nor will you race
your best by continuing to let everyone else dictate what happens in
a race. Take a chance, what do you have to loose? Plan your race,
race your plan.
Recovery Days/Weeks:
Regularly scheduled recovery days are planned every week to allow
for regeneration of muscles, tendons and the neuromuscular systems
as well as serving as a mental break. Improvement will not occur
without taking 1-2 recovery days per week. Recovery is also called
active rest and is the one day of training that those who over-train
and under-perform consistently forget. 20-45 minutes slow and very
easy is all that’s needed. Remember, rest is not a 4 letter word, it’s a
vital part of the training process that is usually passed over by many
runners. When the day calls for a recovery day, the goal is to rest,
flush the toxins out of the system and mentally freshen up a bit.
Don't be afraid to take days off! I know your HS coach said to never
miss a day and your college coach said never miss a day, but I'm here
Joe Rubio’s Fundamental Training Principles for the Competitive 1500m Runner 41
to tell you that taking a full day off may be a much better idea than
trying to sneak extra work in that’ll do more harm than good. If you
are just mentally and physically dragging, trust the little man inside
you and occasionally take a day off. No need to be a hero every day.
An easier recovery week should be scheduled approximately every
4th week with the goal being to have the athlete exit the week feeling
fresher and healthier than they entered it. In most cases the volume
of miles for the week as well as the volume of reps performed in each
individual workout is cut by 15-20% over the previous 3 week’s
levels (i.e.. 16 mile long runs should be cut to 12-13 miles, 8 reps
should be cut to 6). In some cases, we want the athlete to be very
fresh for an upcoming race, so we will also cut back on the number of
harder workout days preceding the race to allow more recovery days
between harder efforts (1 harder workout for the week versus 2).
Studies indicate the greatest gains in fitness are made within the first
21-28 days of being exposed to a new stress or stimulus. This
coincides with the 3 weeks at a particular level of work followed by
one week of recovery. We would then raise the workload the
following 3 week period after adaptation has occurred. Ideally, an
athlete should end the easy week with a meet, time trial or a Kosmin
Test (http://www.brianmac.demon.co.uk/kosmin.htm) to help
determine fitness and establish future workout paces. Scheduling a
meet following an easy week is generally very productive because
the athlete is rested and mentally fresh which is the ideal time to race
effectively. Scheduling races in this manner also limits the “I was
training through this race” excuse that many athletes use when they
race poorly. We want athletes to take personal responsibility for
how they race, easy week help accomplish this by removing excuses
for performing poorly.
Joe Rubio’s Fundamental Training Principles for the Competitive 1500m Runner 47
runs, the increase usually amounts to approximately 5-10% per year
for weekly mileage.
Perform Shorter Length Interval Work on Soft Surfaces in the fall and
winter: As much as possible, it is ideal if the athlete can perform all
200’s, 300’s and 400’s during the fall and winter months on a
measured dirt, woodchip or grass area. By having them do their
shorter reps off the track, we can have them to focus on effort and
form while keeping them on softer surfaces. These surfaces tend to
build lower leg strength as well as keep the athlete hungry for the
rubber oval.
10 Days Out: Any harder workout performed usually pays off 10
days after it is completed. What this means is that if you run a
super hard workout say Wednesday of this week, it will pay off
with greater fitness next Saturday. Before next Saturday though, the
body will need to adapt so it’s usually not a great idea to hammer a
Wednesday workout and expect super results a few days later.
Using this concept, we try to set up the training schedule such that
we have the athlete perform a harder race specific workout 10 days
before a bigger meet and then coast in the week of the meet with
lower miles and lighter workloads. For instance, if we have a big
1500 scheduled for May 10th, we would schedule a workout on May
1 that would be a tough 1500 specific workout (i.e. 3-4 x 800 at 1500
pace). If there was a big 5k on March 22th, we would schedule a hard
5k specific workout (4 x 1600 at 5k pace) on March 12th. After
these were completed, we would start dropping the miles a tad and
make sure we’re fairly well rested heading into the big race to ensure
a positive experience for the athlete.
One Primary Effort per Week: Athletes have a limited amount of
mental energy to devote to any activity. Usually you can ask them
to get “up” for one particularly hard effort per week. It helps to
schedule a single primary workout for the week so the athlete
doesn’t become overwhelmed with day after day of being hammered
in practice by over reaching type workouts. This “primary”
workout is usually a marker workout the athlete should be able to
48 Joe Rubio’s Fundamental Training Principles for the Competitive 1500m
Runner
hit, but will have to dig to get it done. The other workouts for the
week take on the feel and effort of “maintenance” workouts. These
workouts are not of the effort that the primary workout is. In a
sense, they are taken for granted. The primary effort for the week is
the tough one that makes the athlete a bit nervous. If there is a race
the coming weekend, this should serve as will the emphasis for the
week.
Joe Rubio’s Fundamental Training Principles for the Competitive 1500m Runner 49
Lighter fartleks can be done as 30 seconds on/90 off or 1 min on/ 4
off x 6-8 within a 60 min run if the mood hits.
Week #4: Resume regular summer/fall weekly schedule
of training.
*Athletes should aim to reach their individual mileage goals for the
fall within 4-6 weeks of starting in week #4 above. Experienced
athletes should reach 90-100% mileage levels within 2-4 weeks after
week #4 listed above.
Joe Rubio’s Fundamental Training Principles for the Competitive 1500m Runner 55
B. 3k paced or 1500 paced work, done every other week and
either should be done as the lone primary workout the week before a
meet.
3k paced work: 600-800's w/ ½ distance jog. 25-30 min warm up, 6
strides (2 at
3k, 2 at 1500, 2 at 800), 15-20 min cool down. Volume should stay
at pre-set 3k workout levels. Done once every other week and no
track if possible.
2. 1500 paced work: 300’s - 400's w/ equal time standing
rest. 25-30 min warm up, 6 strides (2 at 3k, 2 at 1500, 2 at 800), 15-
20 min cool down. Volume should stay at pre-set 1500 levels. Done
once every other week and no track if possible.
C. Once weekly speed maintenance/development day: AE run
of 25-30 minutes followed 1200m of stride the straights/jog the turns
(2 @ 3k pace, 2 @ 1500 pace, 2 @ 800m pace) then 3-4 x 80
RELAXED accelerations (last 10m at best RELAXED top end
speed) w/ walk back or easy 320m jog recoveries. Then 4-6 x 30 at
best RELAXED top end speed with super easy walk back or easy
370m jog recoveries + optional 1 x 300-400 at 1500 effort, un-timed
after a 5-10 minute recovery following accelerations. Focus on great
form, turnover, pushoff, etc. Easy 15-20 minute cool down.
D. Race. Start of championship season, so we want the athlete
to race hard.
XC Nationals Taper phase (12/1-12/14)
2 weeks
Goal: Round into final racing form. Sharper focus, mental imagery,
lower miles.
Program:
Week #1: Cut mileage to 75-80% of previous months levels
Week #2: Cut mileage to 50-60% of previous months levels
Winter/Spring (12/15-7/1):
2 week transition (60%, 80% MPW): Dec
8-10 weeks aerobic endurance (95-100% MPW): Jan & Feb
8-10 weeks pre-comp (70-100% MPW): Mar & April
8-10 weeks comp (50-80% MPW): May & June
Joe Rubio’s Fundamental Training Principles for the Competitive 1500m Runner 57
Goal: Build mileage back up to max levels. Reestablish weekly
routine including AM runs. Long runs, mid week runs, etc. Should
be back up to early-mid fall levels by 1/1.
Joe Rubio’s Fundamental Training Principles for the Competitive 1500m Runner 61
3. Race simulations, low key indoor meet or Kosmin test
following easy week.
Joe Rubio’s Fundamental Training Principles for the Competitive 1500m Runner 63
Thurs: AM: 20-40 easy (optional)
PM: 30-60 AE run
Fri: AM: 20-40 min easy (optional)
PM: Easy recovery run or pre-meet day
Sat: AM: 20-40 min easy
PM: Faster than 1500 pace workout (all-out, 400,
800 pace). Race replaces.
Joe Rubio’s Fundamental Training Principles for the Competitive 1500m Runner 65
• Should finish all 5k paced workouts w/ 3-4 x 150-200
finishes.
- Tempo/10k (Warm up B):
• 3 miles at tempo, 1 mile at MP, 1 mile at 10k-5k
• 2 x 400-800 at 5k, 3-5 miles at tempo, 2 x 400-800 at tempo.
All with 200-400 jogs.
• 4 x 4 x 400 (first 3 at 10k, last at 5k). 100 jog btw each, 200
btw sets.
- Change of Pace (Warm up A):
• 3 x 3 x 300. 100 jog btw each, 5 min btw sets. First set at
3k, second set at 1500, last set at better than 1500.
• 200-300 acceleration: 200, 220, 240, 260, 280, 300. 200 at
1500 pace. Add 1.5-2 seconds each successive rep. 300
should be at 400 race pace or close to it. Jog back recoveries.
• 600 at 1500 pace, 100 jog, 300’s at 800 pace or better. 2-4
reps w/ 5 min btw sets.
• 100-200 acceleration: 100, 120, 140, 160, 180, 200. Start at
800 pace and end at best effort. Easy walk/jog back recovery
Races: 1-2 meets per month should be scheduled during this time.
#3 ranked meets should focus on doubling with one or two events
above and below the 1500 distance (i.e. 800, 400 double or a single
3k or 5k). 1500’s can be run during a #3 ranked meet, but the race
strategy should be an experimental one. One or two #2 ranked meets
should be scheduled as well focusing on the 1500 distance. Easy
weeks should precede these meets .
Joe Rubio’s Fundamental Training Principles for the Competitive 1500m Runner 67
-2-3 x 200 at best effort.
800: -4 x 200 at 800 or slightly better w/ 200 jog. Ex. For 1:48
800: 28, 27, 26, 25
-3 x 200 at 800 or slightly better + 100 at best. 200 jog btw
each
-6 x 100 at 800 or slightly better with easy walk/jog back
recovery.
1500: -4 x 400 at 1500 pace or slightly better w/ 400 easy jog
-3 x 400 at 1500 or slightly better + 200 at best effort w/ 400
easy jog btw each.
-5 x 300 w/ 3 min recovery.
Race Simulations:
• -1200 as if the first or last 1200 of a race.
Change of Pace:
• 300-200 acceleration: 300, 280, 260, 240, 220, 200. Start the
first 300 at 1500 pace and make each successive rep slightly
faster such that the last rep is at best effort. Jog back
recovery.
• -600 at 1500 pace, 100 jog, 300’s at 800 pace or better. 2-3
reps w/ 5 min btw sets.
• -100-200 acceleration: 100, 120, 140, 160, 180, 200. Start at
800 pace and end at best effort. Easy walk/jog back recovery
Race as much as possible! All that work the previous 10 months
was to get you fit for this time of the year.
Fall Progressions:
Example
Athlete A has the following approximate workout volumes set for
each pace prior to the start of the training year:
400 pace: 800m
800 pace: 1600m
1500 pace: 2400m
3k: 3200m
5k 5000m
10k/tempo 6400m
Marathon pace 8000m
Month #1 (9/1-10/1):
Rep Length Rep pace
200/300: 3k pace (2 x 8 x 200 or 3 x 4 x 300 =
3600m), hill reps (11 x 300 at 3k effort)
400: 5k pace (12 x 400 = 5000m)
800: 10k pace (8 x 800 = 6400m)
1600: Cutdown’s starting at MP and drop
each approx 5-10 seconds.
3200: Tempo (2 x 3200 = 6400m)
Month #2 (10/1-11/1):
Rep Length Rep pace
200/300: Tend not to do any, but if we did, they’d probably
look like this: 1500 pace (2 x 6 x 200 or 2 x 4 x 300
= 2400m), hill reps (8 x 300 at 1500 effort)
400: 3k pace (8 x 400 = 3200m)
800: 5k pace (6 x 800 = 4800m)
1600: 10k (4 x 1600 = 6400m)
3200: None scheduled generally
6400+: We tend to do Wake Forest drills at the end of this
month in place of a pure tempo run here. Same
volume of work, just more XC appropriate.
Month #3 (11/1-12/1):
Rep Length Rep pace
70 Joe Rubio’s Fundamental Training Principles for the Competitive 1500m
Runner
200/300: Tend not to do any, but if we did, they’d probably
look like this: 800 pace (2 x 4 x 200 = 1600m)
400: 1500 pace (6 x 400 = 1600m)
800: 3k pace (4 x 800 = 3200)
1600: 5k pace (3 x 1600 = 4800m)
3200: 1 x 3200 at 5k pace, 15 min break. 2 x 1600 hard
with 3 min recovery.
6400: Wake Forest Drill
Once weekly turnover sessions:
Aug: 6 laps of stride the straight/jog the turns (2 laps at 3k effort,
2 laps at 1500 effort, 2 laps at 800 effort)
Sept: 6 laps of stride the straight/jog the turns (2 laps at 3k effort,
2 laps at 1500 effort, 2 laps at 800 effort). 4-6 x 60
acceleration (last 10m at best RELAXED top end speed).
Walk back recovery.
Oct: 6 x 80-100 strides (2 @ 3k, 2 @ 1500, 2 @ 800) w/ easy jog
back, 4-6 x 60 acceleration (last 10m at best RELAXED top
end speed), walk back. 4-6 x 30 at best RELAXED top end
speed, super easy walk back.
Nov: 6 x 80-100 strides (2 @ 3k, 2 @ 1500, 2 @ 800) w/ easy jog
back, 4-6 x 80 acceleration (last 10m at best RELAXED top
end speed), walk back. 4-6 x 30 at best RELAXED top end
speed, super easy walk back.
Dec: 6 x 80-100 strides (2 @ 3k, 2 @ 1500, 2 @ 800) w/ easy jog
back, 4-6 x 100 acceleration (last 10m at best RELAXED top
end speed), walk back. 4-6 x 30 at best RELAXED top end
speed, super easy walk back.
Jan: 6 x 80-100 strides (2 @ 3k, 2 @ 1500, 2 @ 800) w/ easy jog
back, 4-6 x 150 acceleration (last 10m at best RELAXED top
Joe Rubio’s Fundamental Training Principles for the Competitive 1500m Runner 71
end speed), walk back. 4-6 x 30 at best RELAXED top end
speed, super easy walk back.
Feb: 6 x 80-100 strides (2 @ 3k, 2 @ 1500, 2 @ 800) w/ easy jog
back, 4-6 x 150 (50m accelerate/50m float/50m accelerate)
with last 10m of each 50 acceleration at best RELAXED top
end speed, walk back. 6-8 x 30 at best RELAXED top end
speed or 4-6 x 80-120m hard, faster hill reps on fairly steep
incline either with super easy walk back recoveries.
Spring Progression:
Month #1 (1/1-2/1)
Rep pace Rep length
400 pace: 8 x 100 accelerations = 800m or 5 x 150
accelerations = 750m
800: 10 x 150 = 1500
1500 pace: 2 x 6 x 200 = 2400m
3k/5k: 12 x 400 at 5k = 4800m
Tempo: 1 x 6400 at MP = 6400m
Month #2 (2/1-3/1):
Rep pace Rep length
400 pace: 6 x 150 accelerations (50m 1500/50m 800/ 50m
400) = 900m
800: 2 x 4 x 200 = 1600m
1500 pace: 6 x 300 = 2400m
3k/5k: 6 x 800 at 5k = 4800m
Month #3 (3/1-4/1):
Rep pace Rep length
400 pace: 4 x 200 = 800
800 pace: 5 x 300 = 1500m
1500 pace: 6 x 400 = 2400m
3k/5k: 5 x 1000 at 5k = 5000m
Tempo: 2 x 400 at 10k, 1 x 4800m at tempo, 2 x 400 at
10k = 6400m
Month #4 (4/1-5/1):
Rep pace Rep length
400 pace: 300, 250, 200, 150 = 900m
800 pace: 4 x 400 = 1600m
1500 pace: 4 x 600 = 2400m
3k/5k: 3 x 1600 at 5k = 4800m <or> 5 x 600 at 3k =
3000m
Tempo: 3 miles at tempo, 1 mile at MP, 1 mile at 10k.
Month #5 (5/1-6/1):
Rep pace Rep length
400 pace: 3 x 300 = 900m <or> 2 x 400 = 800m
800 pace: 1 x 500/300, 1 x 400/400 = 1600m
1500 pace: 3 x 800 = 2400m
Joe Rubio’s Fundamental Training Principles for the Competitive 1500m Runner 73
3k/5k: 4 x 800 @ 3k = 3200m
Tempo/10k: 16 x 400 at 10k = 6400m